1. Field
The following description relates to an apparatus and method for managing energy of an electric vehicle, and more particularly, to technology for managing an energy storage device of an electric vehicle using a cloud-based smart grid.
2. Description of the Related Art
Because problems such as environmental problems and the depletion of energy resources have recently begun to arise, next-generation vehicles, such as electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, for solving these problems are receiving more attention. Expensive large-capacity batteries are mounted to drive the above-described next-generation vehicles. In many batteries including a lithium ion-based battery recently widely used, stability, performance, life, and the like significantly differ according to a management method. In particular, because the life and performance of the battery exhibit a significant difference according to a charging environment, a charging cycle, a charging amount at a time, and a charging scheme, there is a need for an optimum charging management method of guaranteeing a given battery life while maintaining the basic performance of the battery. With the recent extension of construction of an intelligent power network such as a smart grid, a time band-specific differentiated fee is applied and charging at an optimum fee is an important issue from the point of view of a user.
According to the intelligent power network construction, charging is attempted for a time in which the user may charge the battery for a minimum fee. Batteries such as lithium-ion polymer batteries recently widely used have the limited number of times of charging/fully discharging the battery. Overcharging and fully discharging are also factors that reduce battery life. An overload may occur in a power network when a large number of users simultaneously concentrate in a time band in which the charging fee is low and side effects may be caused due to an increase in a range of fluctuation of power use. Accordingly, it is important to charge/discharge the battery by appropriately setting a necessary amount of energy.